About the conference

A remarkable body of knowledge has been accumulated in the last decade on the signaling machinery responsible for coupling antigen receptors both to mediators of rapid reponses and to transcriptional effectors. Thus equipped, not only have we been able to study lymphocyte development, activation and differentiation using sophisticated mouse models, but we are beginning to translate these findings to the dissection of human lymphocyte responses with the same precision as with animal models. A quantum leap has been achieved with the development of potent imaging and bioinformatic tools that made it possible to use what we learned to study the immune response in vivo in the complex context of the lymphoid organs, both under homeostatic conditions and during infection, autoimmune disease and cancer, dissecting the contribution of each cell type to the global output. Moreover we are beginning to glean the results of the studies on signaling by antigen receptors in the area of translational medicine, with the development of novel drugs and vaccines that specifically target these signaling pathways for the treatment of infectious diseases, autoimmunity and cancer. The principal objective of this EMBO Conference is to provide a forum to critically assess recent progress in this rapidly moving area of signaling in the immune system.

Main topics:

Signal sensing by antigen receptors

Nanoscale organization of antigen receptor signaling

Tuning of antigen receptor signaling

Systems biology of antigen receptor signaling

Orchestration of immune synapse assembly

Signaling pathways and transcriptional networks in lymphocyte development

ACCOMPANYING PERSON - NO ACCOMMODATION

Local transport (shuttle from Florence and Pisa airports or from Siena railway and bus stations)

Guided tour of Siena and dinner at a local restaurant

Farewell banquet and dance party

Accompanying person fee includes:

Lunches and dinners

Local transport (shuttle from Florence and Pisa airports or from Siena railway and bus stations)

Twin (shared) room accommodation (396 Euro option)

Guided tour of Siena and dinner at a local restaurant

Farewell banquet and dance party

Payment

Accepted applicants will receive an email with the payment link

Selection criteria

The Organizers will select participants on the basis of their CV and abstract (aiming to ensure, compatibility with quality, a fair representation of genders and nationalities).

Participants will have the opportunity to present their results during the central event of the meeting – a poster session to which a full afternoon will be dedicated. A limited number of abstracts will be selected for oral presentations.

Abstract Guidelines

Abstracts are limited to 600 words and should be submitted through the application system.

Poster Specifications

Posters should be 120 cm height x 80 cm width.

Poster Prize

The presenter of the 2 best posters will be awarded a certificate and a prize consisting of a 1-year subscription to Immunity or to Nature Reviews Immunology.

Scholarships

18 scholarships, of which 11 are funded by EFIS-EJI and 7 by ICGEB (the latter for participants from developing countries which are ICGEB member states, see http://www.icgeb.org/member-states.html), will be awarded to young scientists (PhD students and early career post docs) who the reviewers feel have produced abstracts of outstanding quality. The scholarships, of 670 euro each, will be awarded in the form of no-cost registration. In addition to the EFIS- EJI and ICGEB scholarships, a small number of grants-in-aid to cover partial living and travel expenses might become available, depending on the final calculations of the costs (please indicate your interest in being granted one in the field provided in the registration form). The organizers will notify the applicants after the conference and grants will be paid in the form of reimbursement of conference related expenses on submission of the original travel or registration receipts.

Venue and accommodation

The conference will be held at the Certosa di Pontignano, a beautiful abbey in the heart of the Tuscan hills. The Certosa offers three large lecture halls, arranged around two cloisters and surrounded by beautiful gardens. A number of smaller rooms will be freely available for quiet discussions or taking a pause in comfort. Given the usually mild weather in September, participants will have the possibility to enjoy the beauty and seclusion of the site, with its quiet walks around the cloisters and the beautiful landscape which surrounds it. Weather permitting, coffee breaks and meals, as well as the poster session, will be held outdoors, in the cloisters and gardens.

Invited speakers will be lodged at the Certosa di Pontignano. Participants will be lodged either at the Certosa di Pontignano (exclusively on a double occupancy basis), or at the Hotel Moderno* in Siena (on a double occupancy basis). For the latter a shuttle service will be provided to and from the venue. A limited number of rooms has been reserved at the Hotel Moderno for participants who prefer to be lodged on a single occupancy basis. The latter should arrange the reservation personally referring to the EMBO Conference and should choose the "Participant fee, no accomodation" option. Alternatively they will be provided with a list of hotels in Siena close to the shuttle pickup site.

All meals will be served at the restaurant of the Certosa di Pontignano, except breakfasts for participants lodging in hotels. More details on the Certosa di Pontignano are available at http://www.lacertosadipontignano.com.

About the area

The Center is at 8 km from Siena, a beautiful medieval city that blends architectural masterpieces with the surrounding landscape of hills and vineyard and that has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Participants will have the opportunity to visit the city during the free afternoon. A complimentary guided tour of the city will be offered to all participants.

Transport

By plane

Siena is within reasonable distance of several cities with major airports (Rome, Pisa, Florence, Bologna). We strongly suggest using, where possible, the airports of Florence (Firenze-Peretola) or Pisa (Galileo Galilei), which are the closest to Siena and where shuttles will be available for transport to and from the Conference Center (group transport based on arrival/departure schedules). Alternatively participants will be provided with a shuttle service from Siena railway station and bus station.

By train

From Roma Fiumicino airport: a train, leaving every 30 min, takes you to the central railway station, Stazione Termini. From there take a train to Siena (see http://www.trenitalia.com for timetable; note a change at Chiusi).